Source: how2become.com
- The Body
The abstract is a summary of all that has been written in the paper. A good abstract should be between 200 and 350 words. It must be concise, straight to the point, and easy to read.
All references and citations must follow the same format. There are software that can help you with it. However, you should go through it carefully to see if it was done right.
At this point, you introduce your writer to your work. It is usually a build-up on the abstract. Here, the problem is clearly stated. You should also give some background information as to why the paper was written, the question(s) the research seeks to answer, and what you aim to achieve at the end of the research.
2. Writing your paper
This part contains tables, charts, and graphs to help the reader understand the work that has been done. Ensure to give a brief explanation under each diagram for clarity’s sake. Assuming the reader understands might be a fatal mistake.
Source: internationalstudent.com
- Your paper must be concise and free from gibberish.
- Write a good abstract. It is your one chance to convince people to read your work. So, it must be short and compelling.
- Use good grammar. Nothing kills motivation to read like bad grammar. Make sure to check for grammatical blunders, bad spellings, and punctuation errors. If you’re a non-English speaker, you can give your work to a native speaker for review.
- Plan your writing. Organize your thoughts coherently. Check out other people’s writing to get ideas. Include the right amount of detail – not too scanty, and not too much.
- Talk about the methodology. Let your work be technically sound. Support your claims with concrete evidence.
- Use simple sentences. A paper is already complex as it is. Don’t overcomplicate things with high-sounding vocabulary – except of course, if it will help the reader understand better. Otherwise, keep it simple! Make sure to use active voice instead of passive voice.
- Edit and proofread before submitting it. Leave a day or two before reviewing your work. Check for errors, typos, and grammatical blunder. It might also help to give other people to review it for you. The more reviews, the greater chances of your work being approved.
Conclusions are a brief summary of the results and discussion. They are best written in bullet point form. Otherwise, one or two paragraphs is fine. After the abstract, it is the next most important part of the paper. This part is to make room for skimmers who are not interested in plenty of details.
To:
From:
Subject: Article Summary
Date: 20 January 2016
Purpose
The purpose of this article was to highlight the 12 most common mistakes that technical writers make and to offer tips and suggestions for improvement for each one.
Summary
Poor organization, no revision, too many big words, sentences that are too long, writing that is too technical, and an unawareness of the reader are just a few of the major obstacles that technical writers face. Overall this article offers excellent solutions to these hurdles by adopting a practical approach to writing that any technical writer can benefit from by following.
Discussion
Poor organization is one of the top three main hurdles: it is the result of a haphazard approach to writing that can lead a technical writer to all sorts of trouble. Poor organization leads to a lack of clarity in the writing, a lack of focus, a lack of…
There are many things that can go wrong in a passing system that IBM has developed its token ring system to be able to stop some possible problems before they have even begun. Because of the self-monitoring ability of the token ring many experts in the field consider system the system extremely reliable. If something goes wrong within the token ring passing system the possibilities are narrowed by virtue of its self-monitoring abilities.
Chapter 1, Figure 1 (also slides 14-15 of Need for Systems Engineering) illustrates the law of diminishing returns in seeking the optimum system (or component) performance and,…
Considerations of maintenance and support requirements and IT governance practice as integral elements of the formula for successful ERP adoption. Computers in Industry, 61(3), 297.
Technical Writing Observer Impact When
Brock, W., Lakonishok, J., & LeBaron, B. (1992) 'Simple Technical Trading Rules and the Stochastic Properties of Stock Returns'. Journal of finance 4, (5), 1731-1764
Hewlett-Packard is a giant computer company that focuses on manufacturing and marketing of computer systems, printers and other computer products. To achieve their objective, employees, customers, suppliers, and individuals use the computer systems to communicate to one another. One of the company's latest products is HP Pavilion computer Notebook, and the company has sold million…
Type 2 operational failures were forensically diagnosed as insufficient physical dexterity in manipulating the components of the cassette cartridge resulting in dropping the disassembled cartridge or in mutilation of the magnetic tape after reassembly while attempting to rewind loose tape onto the tape spools.
Are you looking to understand what technical writing is and how you can become more proficient?
Technical writing continues to be a highly coveted skill in the professional workplace. Demand is expected to grow at 10% from 2014 to 2024. This is faster than the average for all occupations.
It is difficult to clearly convey a concept that you have not mastered. Many technical writers have academic or workplace experience in the topic they are writing about and many technical writers have job titles of engineer, geologist, seismologist, financial analyst, or business analyst. They are employed in technical positions and have to summarize information cross-functionally to other areas of the company.
Business writing is a broader category. It can be argued that technical writing falls under business writing. It deals with many of the same topics and documents.
Traditional Definition of Technical Writing
Often these rules are outlined by the employing organization in a style guide.
It is important that the documentation is easy to follow, especially if the application is crucial to a major function. To accurately write the guide, the writer may first observe how engineers solve the problem. They may use recording devices or just notes to write down the research. This type of research is closely related to testing.
Having a process keeps you from “getting stuck” while writing. Having a clear workflow will help you systematically accomplish your work. We teach a specific process for technical report writing in our technical writing course.
- Beskos, D. E. (1987). “Boundary element methods in dynamic analysis.” Appl. Mech. Rev.,40(1), 1–23.
If the author is mentioned in the sentence, the number is still used.
- Construction failure is avoidable 1 . -Or- Construction failure is avoidable [1].
ASCE committees, task forces, etc. publish reports, proposed codes and standards, commentaries on codes and standards, and so on. The committee is the author.
Website
- According to Wynham 2 , no additional support is necessary. -Or- According to Wynham [2], no additional support is necessary.
ASCE no longer uses page numbers and has adopted a new format for its references (including those older papers that still contain page numbers). Use the following style for citation to an ASCE journal:
- Authors. (Year of initial publication). “Title of paper.” Journal abbr., DOI, CID/page range.
- Irish, J. L., and Resio, D. T. (2013). “Method for estimating future hurricane flood probabilities and associated uncertainty.” J. Waterway, Port, Coastal, Ocean Eng., 10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000157, 04013015.
References give the reader the information they need to know so that they can find the reference for more information. Depending on where the report is published, the required format for the references may be slightly different. In Civil Engineering, the default format is the ASCE style. The excerpt below is directly from the ASCE style guide at https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/9780784479018.ch05.
In addition to referencing other sources of information, cross-references are also used to refer to figure, tables, and equations within the report. You must refer to every table, figure, equation used in the text. For documents in Engineering use the full reference (i.e. Figure #, Table #, Equation #) instead of an abbreviation (i.e. Fig., Eq.). If the item (figure, table, or equation) is a noun in the sentence then use it as a proper noun and capitalize the first letter.
You can also use cross-references to refer to different sections in the report. This is common in technical reports in which the chapters and sub-sections are numbered.
- ASCE Task Force on Friction Factors in Open Channels. (1963). “Friction factors in open channels.” J. Hydraul. Div., 89(2), 97–143.
- ACI (American Concrete Institute).(1989). “Building code requirement for reinforced concrete.” ACI 318-89,Farmington Hills, MI.
- Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA). (1993). The BOCA national building code, Country Club Hills, IL.
- CEN (European Committee for Standardization). (1992). “Design of steel structures, part 1.1.”Eurocode 3, Brussels.
ASCE Journals
Building codes, provisions, and standards should be listed alphabetically by the name of the promulgating institution. If a title and code number are given, the title should be in quotes, and the code number in italics
- Liggett, J. A., and Caughey, D. A. (1998). “Fluid statistics.” Fluid mechanics(CD-ROM), ASCE, Reston, VA, Section …, Chapter …, pp. …
Many reports will contain a cover sheet that provides basic information. The layout of the cover sheet may be dictated by whomever is to receive the report (i.e. the Graduate School has a pre-determined layout for thesis and dissertations). The cover sheet will generally include the following information:
ASCE committees, task forces, etc. publish reports, proposed codes and standards, commentaries on codes and standards, and so on. The committee is the author.